by Chris Fletcher

Created on: July 01, 2008   Last Updated: March 19, 2012

Are we so focused on the aesthetics of our entertainment that the content has become an afterthought? There are many gamers in the current generation that would blindly and happily ignore some of the best games in history simply because the graphics were not up to scratch, and this is a sorry state of affairs.

Now, I appreciate graphics as much as the next gamer. I truly adore my Xbox 360, and have had many an occasion to sit back during a session and admire the beautiful graphics presented by some games. Take Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion after completing the initial training level (a short stint during which the player breaks out of prison via the sewers and some cave-like areas) you are finally allowed into the open air, and are greeted by a truly stunning visage of grassy hills, distant mountains, a lake and small dock, flowers, trees, open sky. Every character you encounter is wonderfully drawn and animated, and relate stories and tasks through both dialogue and facial expression. Facial expression! You can literally tell if the person you are talking to in the game likes you or not based on how they are looking at you. An incredible step in the graphical progression of the medium.

But, let me ask this. Given the beautiful surroundings and the realistically expressive character in front of you, why would you even care to complete the task they assign if the gameplay was terrible? What would be the point?

Video games are designed for people to play, not to look at. Of course you must observe the game as you play, but it is not a static image built solely for observation, such as a painting or a comic book. There is no participation involved in these forms of entertainment, whereas with video games it is the whole point. If the crux of a creation rests solely on its looks, then it had better look good, but video games do not follow this rule.

Gamers these days are spoiled in terms of graphics. By playing such excellent titles as BioShock, Gears of War and Oblivion, it is easy to see why. These games look fantastic, but they also play astoundingly well. Would BioShock have received the acclaim it has if there had been no plasmids, Big Daddys or the excellently penned story? Or if Gears of War had no multiplayer component, cover-fire mechanic, co-op play? Highly doubtful. It is the gameplay that makes the game what it is, and the graphics serve solely as an aesthetic representation of these elements.

Pac-Man looked like garbage. As did the original Super Mario

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